>> i guess venice is the land of wealth. >> yes, my heart is broken, but i'm excited. >> reporter: city officials put out a notice that they'll be closing the grand canal for the clooney wedding, leading to speculation that he's having a civil ceremony in the town hall, just over that way. perhaps the perfect end to a fairy tale wedding in one of the most romantic cities in the world. erin mclaughlin, cnn, venice, italy. and hello, again, everyone. i'm fredricka whitfield. welcome to the "cnn newsroom."t growing in number and firepower. a u.s.-led coalition launched ten air strikes today and seven in syria, the rest in iraq.

and the united kingdom has officially started its offensive. two royal air force jets flew over iraq today. they were armed and the ministry of defense says, but did not fire. and britain is now one of the more than 50 countries committed to fighting isis, after president obama called on the international community two weeks ago. joining me right now from the white house, cnn's erin mcpike. so, erin, how effective do we understand these air strikes to have been? >> reporter: fred, our reporting so far on the ground there, and from the pentagon, shows that these air strikes over syria have not made much of a difference yet. now, we know that three arab nations joined with the united states in these air strikes and they exited the area safely. but from what we have learned, these strikes have destroyed some buildings and some vehicles that isis uses, but they've only done some damage to some airfields as well as the command post. now, arwa damon, cnn's arwa damon is there and she is

reporting that they have not done much to break the siege over kobani. now, this is something that the defense department has been mulling for some time. however, defense secretary chuck hagel was just asked about this yesterday, and he urged patience, which you'll listen to those comments. >> we continue our operations from the air. i also want to emphasize that no one is under any allusions, under any allusions that air strikes alone will destroy isil. they are one element of our broader comprehensive campaign against isil. a campaign that has diplomatic, economic, intelligence, and other military components. working with coalition partners and a new government in iraq. >> reporter: now, in iraq, we also know that, as you said there at the top, the uk has joined this effort but they have just begun reconnaissance. there have been no air strikes

from the uk just yet. also in syria, we just learned from the white house that national security adviser susan rice met with the delegation from the syrian opposition coalition yesterday and started to discuss more of their shared goals and steps to take in the future, fred. >> all right. erin mcpike at the white house, thanks so much for that. all right, in charlottesville, virginia, more people are flocking now to a call center to help take phone tips that could lead to a missing student's location. police have said that they received more than 2,400 tips, but still no sign of university of virginia student, hannah graham. she vanished two weeks ago. meanwhile, the prime suspect in her disappearance is being held in isolation in a virginia jail. let's bring in cnn's jean casarez. so, jean, the suspect, jesse matthew, was processed overnight after being extradited. explain the charge. >> reporter: well, the charge is abduction with intent to defile. and we're at the regional jail and he is bond those walls there

on a no-bond hold. and abduction with intent to defile, in plain language, they're accusing him of kidnapping with the intent to perpetrate a sexual crime against hannah graham, the intent. now, today is a very big day here, because it's a new day and a new search for hannah. and professional crews are going to all the rural areas in this county. this county is over 740 square miles. and much of it is land, much of it is rural. there are a lot of mountains in this county. and that's why the police chief virtually asked every citizen in the county to look to see if they could find anything of hannah, her cell phone, clothes, personal effects, anything. and people are taking that very seriously. >> you're a realtor that serves the greater charlottesville, albemarle region. and you know that you are responsible for the sale of a piece of property that's vacant,

we want to ask you to go back to that property and inspect it. >> all of us have these vacant listings. i don't have any farm properties, but still, there's some corners around here that someone could hide something. so i came up here and did a look around. you know, we're all just trying to find her >> reporter: i spoke with a very close friend of hannah's, one of her dearest friends. and she did not want to come forward to be on camera, but she told me that hannah is the most wonderful person and friend that she's ever had in her life. that she's the type of person that drops anything to be there for her friends. and now the fact is, so many people in this community that don't even know her, they are now friends to hannah. and we do want to tell everybody that this search is going to continue, but they honestly have said, they have no idea where she is at this point. >> and then, jean, are investigators revealing exactly what led to the arrest of jesse matthew, since it's unclear what kind of physical evidence there is. and it's unclear, of course, the whereabouts of hannah.

>> reporter: very good question, because you have to have probable cause that he admitted this crime, that he abducted her. well, we know that there were eyewitnesss that saw them walk away together, with his hand, allegedly, around her waist. forensically, the results are still being looked at by the forensic lab. they told us they thought they would have those results by the end of the week, but they're not going to release those results, because that's part of a criminal case and that's what you hear at trial. they did say credible evidence came from the car and the apartment, which led to the arrest. what they mean by that, we don't know. but did she have a wallet on her, credit cards on her, anything that associated her with that vehicle or even his apartment. >> jean casarez, thank you so much, in charlottesville. flights in and out of chicago are still a mess after a man allegedly sets fire to a major air traffic control

center. the ripple effect canceled about 2,000 flights yesterday. 600 more today. the faa is struggling to resume normal flight schedules now and passengers, well, they're trying to take it in stride. >> i'm frustrated, but what can i do? it's not like i can drive to miami. i have to be in line. >> you're just -- you're just waiting, just like everybody else, right? >> oh, yeah. i'm going to make the best of it. i'm going to have a really nice dinner tonight and enjoy my additional night here in chicago. >> fbi agents searched the home of an faa employee, 36-year-old brian howard. they have charged him with setting the fire. agents say howard allegedly sent a private facebook message to a relative before setting the fire, threatening to, quote, take out the faa center. what began with an argument over loud music ended with the shooting death of a black teen. now the accused killer is back in court for a retrial on a first-degree murder charge. a live report, next.

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tensions have eased for now in ferguson, missouri, over the death of michael brown. meanwhile, the justice department is trying to make sure officers there are not doing things that could provoke more violent protests. a deputy chief took issue with a bracelet some officers were wearing. the bracelets say, "i am darren wilson." he's the officer that shot can killed brown, who was unarmed. a deputy chief wrote a letter to ferguson's police chief, telling him the bracelets are, quote, exacerbating an already tense atmosphere between law enforcement and residents in

ferguson, end quote. and live pictures right now from a florida courtroom, where michael dunn is being retried for first droegree murder in th shooting death of jordan davis. he was already convicted on attempted second-degree murder, but deadlocked on the first-degree murder charge. the shooting occurred at a florida gas station during an argument over loud music. and in pennsylvania, police say they have evidence that fugitive survivalist eric frein had planned his attack on troopers for years. frein is still on the run two weeks after that ambush left one state trooper dead and another injured. and a former montana high school teacher convicted of raping a student was resentenced friday to ten years in prison. the original judge came under fire for only giving stacy r ramboldt a sentence that required him to serve just 31 days in prison. to some, that made it seem like the victim, a student in his

class, was to blame for the attack. that victim later committed suicide. next, we'll look at relationships that start online and involve companionship and cash. go with us into the world of sugar daddies and sugar babies. but first, we take a look into the future. our tomorrow transform series shows how technology is helping make cars safer. here's richard quest. >> no sooner had we taken to the roads in cars than we became all too familiar with the car crash. before long, it became clear, making road travel safer was essential. if the motor car wasn't to become a menace. >> if you go back into the mid-60s, you will find that the fatality rate per hundred million vehicle miles traveled was about 5.5. if you compare that to today,

you would see that the fatality rate has dropped to only 1.04. >> reporter: getting that number down in the u.s. required a rethink on vehicle safety. to understand what happens when cars crash. today, testing is being taken even further, at the texas a&m transportation institute, they're able to scan vehicles, part by part, to simulate crash tests. now we know more about what happens during car crashes than ever before. tomorrow's goal is to avoid the crash in the first place. picture cars that talk to each other. it's called vehicle-to-vehicle technology. and it's already being tested in some cities. technology is making our cars smarter. it means human and machine can

work in harmony. and this ensures tomorrow's roads are safer for everyone.

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made sure everyone got their latest gadgets. what's up for the next shift? ah, nothing much. just keeping the lights on. (laugh) nice. doing the big things that move an economy. see you tomorrow, mac. see you tomorrow, sam. just another day at norfolk southern.

all right, to online dating, that's not new, but there is a new twist on it. our lisa ling found couples who use a website to negotiate a website, both personal and financial. take a look at a clip from lisa's new show, "this is life." >> taylor grew up in a traditional, middle class family. but in her early 20s, she realized her tastes were anything but ordinary. >> when i started dating guys, they wanted to go to maybe a fast food burger joint or something. i wanted to go out and experience a different lifestyle. so naturally, i ventured out. >> taylor embraced the sugar lifestyle when she was just 22. and this is rich. her sugar daddy of nearly a decade. >> hey! >> how you doing, you sexy thing?! you give me a hug. how you doing? >> i'm good.

>> good seeing you. >> you going to get in? >> i'm going to get in. >> let's ride. >> sugar relationships can last a long time. taylor's been in hers for ten years. she says her sugar daddy is teaching her a lot of really important things, like golf. >> outstanding! >> good shot. >> outstanding. >> when i met rich, it was just effortless. >> all right, taylor. don't you laugh. >> we just hit it off. >> i don't want to use the term love at first sight, but something along those lines. >> can i ask you how old you are? >> i'm 32. >> i'm 69. >> if you forgive me for saying, there are a lot of people who might say, what a dirty old man? >> i am a dirty old man. have you ever met one yet that didn't like to flirt? >> actually, no. >> okay, i rest my case.

>> oh, boy. i talked with lisa ling this week about the couple in the piece you just saw and i asked her whether their family members know about this relationship. >> in this particular relationship, the man wasn't married and has never been married. however, there are lots of sugar dad daddies, lots of sugar daddies, even who are on these websites, who are married and are looking for a younger woman to be their companions and whatever goes along with that, with you know, again is negotiated. with regard to taylor and rich, one of the couples that we profiled, he's close to 70 and she's in her 30s. their relationship is a little bit unique. they claim they have never had sex and for rich, taylor allows him to feel youthful and vigorous. and she provides for him something that he was really missing in his life. and it's just a different take

on the sugar daddy relationship that i myself was surprised by. >> it sounds like a friendship. >> and it's a mentorship, too. that's another thing a lot of the young women expressed a need for. in this challenged economy, they really are seeking these older men for mentorship and possible opportunities to advance their careers. >> and how do they hook up? >> they also hooked up on a website. they've been together for a long time, but initially hooked up on a website. >> okay! explore this world on the premiere episode of "this is life with lisa ling" airing tomorrow night, 10:00 p.m. eastern and pacific right here on cnn. at over 400 pounds, seea ruz revered in her samoan cultural. >> i was seen as a woman of strength. but there is no strength in pain and living with diabetes. >> complications from her diabetes forced her to have all

of her teeth removed. >> it was on that same day that i decided to be an activist against obesity and diabetes. >> reporter: already an acclaimed author, she used her platform to become a crusader. speaking to schoolchildren and parents about the dangers of obesity. to jump-start her own weight los loss, she began training for the nautica malibu triathlon. in eight months, she not only lost weight by swimming, baking, and running, she also gained a lot of confidence. on september 14th, she became a triathlete. >> i just feel like i'm a new person. i feel like i've been rebirthed, i've been baptized. >> reporter: not even a nasty bike crash could keep her from reaching the finish line. >> and they wanted to take me in the emergency vehicle, but i said, i can't do that! my family's out there, my team's out there! i cannot ride in a car! i came to do a race! >> reporter: she finished the

race with her team by her side. >> my team was there. i mean, they were there and they brought me in. >> reporter: more than a hundred pounds lighter now, she's not ready to stop. >> i'll do it again. >> reporter: dr. sanjay gupta, cnn, malbui. [ female announcer ] you change your style.

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all right. "cnn money" is up next. in just minutes. christine romans is here with a preview. christine? >> hi, fredricka. the price tag for the war against isis, tens of thousands of dollars per flight, more than a million per tomahawk missile. is america ready to pay up? plus, a big company is giving workers as much vacation time as they want. i'll tell you who and why, 2:30 p.m. eastern on a brand-new "cnn money." fredricka? >> look forward to that. thanks so much, christine. all right, first a baby announcement. chelsea clinton has given birth to a baby girl. next the politics. does being a grandmother have

much influence on whether former secretary of state hillary clinton will run or how she would run? we put that question to presidential historian, allan lichtman. >> i think running as grandmother is great for hillary clinton. nobody denies that she's tough. this now shows the human side of hillary clinton. after all, baby kissing is the oldest political trick in the book. and now she can do it with her granddaughter. now, family always affects, though, political choices. many believe that colin powell, for example, never ran for president because of the opposition of his wife. and hillary clinton's expanded family will obviously affect her political decision making. i don't think, for one moment, it will deter her from running and it will only help her image when she does run. >> so, new grandparents, bill and hillary clinton, just released this statement, saying this, "we are blessed, grateful, and so happy to be the

grandparents of a beautiful girl. charlotte clinton mezvinsky. chelsea is well and glowing, marc is bursting with pride. charlotte's life is off to a good start." all right, thanks so much for spending your day with me. i'm fredricka whitfield. "cnn money" starts right now. bombs raining down on isis targets. but stopping the world's richest terrorist group comes with a price tag for america. i'm christine romans. this is "cnn money." >> america at war in the mideast again. >> we will not tolerate safe havens for terrorist who is threaten our people. >> the united states launch arg strikes in syria against isis. a terror group that rakes in up to $3 million a day by selling oil on the black market. >> they are very well funded. >> part of the president's strategy, cut off the flow of funds. >> it's time to end the hypocrisy of those who accumulate wealth through the global